THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a landmark achievement, Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital has successfully performed a corneal transplant surgery to cure corneal blindness, marking the first time such a procedure has been carried out in a district-level hospital in the country.
The surgery was conducted on a 59-year-old resident of Kovalam on January 24. The patient had suffered an injury to the right eye during childhood, which eventually led to corneal blindness. The cornea used for the transplant was sourced from the Eye Bank Association Kerala (EBAK). While such surgeries typically cost several lakhs of rupees in private hospitals, the procedure was performed free of charge at the hospital.
Until now, corneal transplant surgeries were confined to the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (located adjacent to the general hospital), select government medical colleges, and private eye hospitals. The initiative follows a 2023 order authorising corneal transplant surgeries in district hospitals by trained specialists.
Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital subsequently prepared the necessary infrastructure, investing nearly Rs 40 lakh in advanced equipment. The arrangements were evaluated and approved under the supervision of the Superintendent of the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, and a licence for corneal transplantation was secured from KSOTTO.
Health Minister Veena George congratulated the entire medical team for their pioneering effort.